Testing! Testing!
by BatWingteenavenger
Summary: While on patrol, a certain Bird meets disaster, and an author makes their debut. Chapter 2 now up!
1. Attacked!

**The Choice**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these characters, so apologies to DC if I confiscated them for a short while. Please don't sue me. Nightwing and the Bat clan will vouch for me I'm sure. Also, thanks to everyone posting these things before me. YOU GUYS ARE AWSOME!!

**WARNING:** this is sort of an experiment. If you want me to continue, then R and R and don't be afraid to tell me what you think. Also, this chapter has been UPDATED!! I took to heart the things suggested to me by my reviewers and thank them immensly for their support:) Keep the revs coming!!

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He looked like a shadow among shadows. His raven hair blew in the wind as he made his way across the rooftops of his city. He was on the trail of a dangerous group of criminals known for their ruthlessness and cunning. They were called the Rustics. They were armed. They were slippery. They were smugglers. As the figure approached his prey he smiled, a feral snarl in the darkness. They were _toast_. The thieves were so occupied with their task of smuggling illegal items that they didn't know he was there until he landed a foot to the leaders' jaw.

Furious, the thug produced a switchblade and leaped toward the shadow, sneering, "Your Kevlar is not _blade proof,_ Wingster!" the black-clad hero dodged the blade, only to realize that the rest of the brood had also taken up weapons and were closing in on him. Ordinarily, this would not have been a big deal for Nightwing, except for the fact that the vigilante had next to no room in which to maneuver and was rapidly running out of Wingdings.

_If I don't make it, Babs is gonna kill me!_ Nightwing thought as he was overtaken by the mob that seemed to come out of nowhere. No matter how much he fought, these guys fought harder. "DIE, DIE! DIE!!" the leader screamed as he beat the blue-and- black clad hero over the head with a 2 by 4 again and again. Nightwing was ready to grab that wooden club and shove it where the moon don't shine when a birdarang sliced through the air and embedded itself in the thug's wrist. Robin the Boy Wonder was in Bludhaven.

Seeing the dire circumstances that Nightwing had gotten into, Robin quickly made it known that he was far from impressed with the smugglers' treatment of the city's ONLY vigilante by throwing both his body and several Birdarangs into the mob with such force that it took the thugs several minutes to figure out who and where their assailant was, let alone where he had come from. Once they did, they had one thought. " If the Kid's here, the Bat aint far behind!" However, there was one thing wrong with that statement. Batman was with the Justice League, so Robin, also known as Tim Drake, was on his own for the night.

Tim was angry that his friend and surrogate brother had so many enemies in Bludhaven and Dick even had a very large price on his head despite his efforts to save the city from the corruption that threatened to bury it. Wanted posters hung from every street corner and every man with a gun was after the vigilante. It made Robin sick even to think about it. What sickened him more was the fact that the 2-by-4 had left Nightwing unconscious. The vigilante wasn't moving, and Tim began to get worried as minutes went by and his surrogate brother showed no signs of recovery. "Dick?" Tim whispered in Nightwing's ear for what seemed like the millionth time. No answer. Tim nudged the still form and tried again, "Dick, get up. _Please_ get up!" Still, no response. Tim was getting even more worried than before. He nudged Nightwing again, harder this time. "Dick? Can you hear me? Oh man, _please_ respond somehow! You gotta get up! I can't get Oracle on the line and I'm on my own tonight because Bruce is out of town with the League, so if you're hurt worse than I think you are, then you will have to put up with whatever care I can give you."

Struggling, the third Robin dragged the injured vigilante to the latter's' warehouse lair and laid him on the small couch he knew would be there. Dick gave his successor no sign that he was even the least bit coherent as the younger Robin checked him for further damage. When it was clear that the vigilante had no other injuries that Robin could see, Tim became even more worried. _What did those bastards do to you?! _the youth wondered sadly as he began bathing Dick's head with a cold cloth, hoping that his surrogate brother would wake up and tell him that he was fine and that they would have a night on the town together. No such luck." C'mon, Grayson! Get UP off your BUTT! Your city NEEDS you!" Still no response. Tim checked his patient's injuries again and gasped in horror as he discovered that the wooden club that had rendered Nightwing unconscious had left several gash marks in the Kevlar suit . What worried the young Robin were the nine inch, thick, rusted staples that were peppered all over Nightwing's upper arms and chest. The red flames of deadly infection already spreading in angry raised lines made Tim shudder. _He could DIE from any number of things! Lead poisoning from those staples, Lockjaw from the rust...I've gotta CALL somebody!"_


	2. A Call for Help

**Chapter 2: A Call for Help**

**Disclaimer: **_I own nothing except the plot and NEW characters created by me_**. **

**Author's Note: SORRY THIS IS SO LATE!! **_I wanted to explore my other styles before coming back to this story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed my first chapter! REVIEWS MAKE ME VERY HAPPY! :) Apologies in advance for any grammar or spelling errors you may find that have snuck past my Spell check. Once again, reviews make me a very happy writer, so don't be shy!

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Tim knew he had to get someone-_anyone-_to help him. True, he had taken care of the infection and had cleaned Dick's wounds, but there was a major problem: Dick had not come out of his coma. This fact worried the current Boy Wonder because three hours had passed since Dick had been attacked.

Three agonizing hours the boy had cleaned and tended his surrogate brother's wounds. Three hours he'd begged for Dick to wake up.

For three _hours_ he had gotten no response.

"Come on, Dick! Don't give up _now_!" Tim muttered as he searched through Nightwing's gauntlet for an item he knew Dick still carried. Finding what he was looking for, Dick's Titan communicater, the third Robin radioed the Titan known as Raven.

"What do you want, Drake?"

"I need your help."

"This better be important. I was MEDITATING!"

Gulping, the third Robin quickly explained the situation to the irritated Asarethian. After he was done, Raven thought for a moment, then made her decision. She knew he was not going to like what she had to say, but he needed to know.

"This is beyond my healing abilities, Drake. I'm afraid that I am not able to help you."

Hearing this literally brought Tim to his knees in despair. "You can't be serious!" He looked at the motionless figure beside him and began to panic. "Raven, you were my only option! Batman's out of town, remember?! If you can't help-" Raven cut him off with a look and a held up hand, "Hold it, Drake! I said _I_ couldn't help you. However, I know someone who _can_." The blue cloaked Titan smiled in satisfaction as Tim's eyes lit up and he became attentive.

"I'm listening."

"Good."

Raven showed him a picture of a beautiful blonde woman who was dressed in an elegant satin gown that looked as if it had been spun from pure, golden light. Her eyes were the color of a moonless night, yet they sparkled like the sea when the wind blows. Her beauty struck the Third Robin both witless and speechless, and while Tim oggled at the ageless heroine, Raven explained. "This is Sadona. She is an empath and her healing powers exceed my own. She is loyal, kind, and as ageless as Jason Blood. She will be able to coax Nightwing out of the pit he fell into." Tim looked at Dick and said, "Call her, Raven. Please!" Raven glared at him and growled, "Already did, Drake. Sadona should be there shortly. Raven out." The transmission cut, the young Robin replaced the communicater and waited for the breathtaking woman to arrive.

In the meantime, Tim decided to move Nightwing from the couch to a cot that sat against the far wall. The reason for this decision was logical;1. Dick had placed the cot right next to the heater when he had furnished the hideout, and 2. the beautiful heroine might want to sit on the couch while she was meditating.

As the current Boy Wonder got his surrogate brother comfortable, he suddenly felt that there was someone watching him. Turning around and readying himself for an attack, Tim saw that the vigilante known only as Batwraith had slid into the lair. The third Robin knew that the Teen Avenger did not visit unless he was asked for, or something had happened that had seriously injured a hero the wraith was close to. How Batwraith knew who to avenge and when he was needed was a mystery even Batman himself could not solve. However, the Teen Avenger was one of the Family, and for Tim Drake, that was enough to trust him.

"Hey Wraith." Tim greeted grimly. The dark figure took one look at the prone figure on the cot and his body tensed in fury. A snarl formed on his lips as the opaque lenses in the wing-shaped domino mask turned an angry crimson.

"Who." The Wraith hissed in a terrifying tenor. The word was more of a statement than a question, and the tone put the Bat Growl to shame. Trembling a little, Tim told the story again. The Wraith listened carefully. After Tim was finished, Batwraith looked again at his injured friend and growled, "Don't worry, Nightwing. Bludhaven will not be unprotected. Not tonight. Not on MY watch! Let those bastards TRY to hide from the wrath of the Wraith!" With that, Batwraith left, his Ringwraith-like shreak echoing into the night.

By the time Tim got himself calmed down and cleaned up, twenty minutes had passed. Sighing, Tim tried once again to rouse Nightwing. When his efforts failed, the young Robin began to silently weep. "C'mon, Dick! Snap out of it! Don't leave me. Not now. Please!" Tim grabbed his 'brother's' limp hand and continued his plees, "Blast it, Grayson! You are not allowed to give up! I won't LET you!" Tim wiped away angry tears and looked at Dick's face. He looked...peacefull. Too peacefull for just being asleep. "You can't even hear me, can you?" he wondered.

"Actually, Boy Wonder, he can."

Tim turned to face the intruder, then found himself unable to move as the figure closed in on him, arms reaching to grab him by the waist.

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**BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!! Cliffhangers RULE!! I'm still working on this one so...REVIEW!!**


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